ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) Jordan Zimmermann got his first win in 18 starts dating to last season and the Detroit Tigers beat the Los Angeles Angels 7-2 on Monday night.
Zimmermann (1-8) allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings to get his first victory since Sept. 5, 2018 and avoid setting a team record for most consecutive starts without a win. Adam Bereno also went 17 starts without a win during the 2002-03 seasons.
Miguel Cabrera homered and drove in three, and Jordy Mercer also connected to help the Tigers improve to 2-15 against the AL West this season. Both wins have come against the Angels.
Kole Calhoun homered for the Angels, who dropped to 1-4 during their seven-game homestand. Jaime Barria (4-4) gave up three runs, two earned, in five innings.
Mercer pushed the Tigers’ lead to 3-0 with a solo homer in the fifth, but Calhoun got the Angels on the board with a solo homer off the top of the wall in left field in the bottom half of the inning to make it 3-1. Christin Stewart left the game after a hard collision into the wall trying to pull back Calhoun’s 24th homer of the season.
David Fletcher doubled off the wall in center to score Matt Thaiss and cut the deficit to 3-2 in the sixth inning. Blaine Hardy was able to stave off any further damage by striking out Justin Upton and Calhoun with the bases loaded to keep Zimmermann in contention for the win.
Cabrera had a two-run single in the eighth to push the lead to 5-2, and Niko Goodrum scored on a wild pitch by Ty Buttrey to make it 6-2.
JaCoby Jones added an RBI in the ninth inning.
Stewart made it 2-0 in the fourth with a double that drove in Nicholas Castellanos. Castellanos reached on a two-out error when Thaiss threw the ball over the head of first baseman Albert Pujols and into the camera well.
Cabrera put the Tigers ahead 1-0 with a solo homer in the first inning, going out of his way to talk to Angels catcher Dustin Garneau as he crossed home plate. It was Cabrera’s 471st career homer, part of a 2-for-4 night to tie Johnny Damon (2,769) for 54th on the career hits list.
ROSTER MOVE
The Tigers placed C Bobby Wilson on waivers, manager Ron Gardenhire said. Wilson, who is batting .091 in 15 games this season and in an 0-for-16 slump over his past six games, will be assigned to Triple-A Toledo or become a free agent if he is not claimed by another team. The move will clear the way for C Jake Rogers, one of the top prospects in the Tigers organization, to be called up from Triple-A.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Angels: CF Mike Trout remained in the game after being hit on the left hand by a pitch in the sixth inning. … RHP J.C. Ramirez (elbow) said he is ready to make his season debut after playing in his final rehab game with Class A Inland Empire, but manager Brad Ausmus did not know if Ramirez would be activated off the injured list Tuesday. Ramirez had Tommy John surgery in April 2018, and his return will give the Angels another long reliever capable of throwing up to three innings for their overworked bullpen.
UP NEXT
Tigers RHP Drew VerHagen (1-1, 14.40 ERA) will make his second start of the season Tuesday. VerHagen has allowed 12 earned runs in five innings over his past two appearances. The Angels RHP Griffin Canning (3-6, 5.15) will make his first start since July 20. Canning took the loss in the Angels’ 16-inning loss on Thursday, giving up five runs in two innings of relief.
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